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I turned on my heel and flung myself toward the door but tripped over a chair and fell to the floor with a heavy thud.
“Ouch!” I cried but went silent when I caught sight of a small file taped under the bed. Pulling it free, I quickly broke the seal and dumped the contents on the floor. I sorted through the papers in a mad rush and sucked in a sharp breath when I saw it.
“No!”
Car doors slamming had me in a panic. I hastily tried to stuff most of the items back into the folder. I knew I’d made a poor job of fastening the tape, as it had lost most of its adhesive. I rushed to the guest bedroom at the back, breathed a sigh of relief when I got the window open, then shimmied out onto the patio roof and down the lattice. I ignored the various bumps and bangs I got in my desperate attempt to get out of there. Finally on the ground, I crouched and ran to hide in the bushes for a moment, and when all was clear, I raced to where my car was hidden. Once inside, I fought to catch my breath then banged on the dash, screaming silently into the steering wheel. Frustrated at the cards life just continued to deal, my blood was at full boil.
My phone rang, and I checked the caller ID.
He always had such perfect timing.
“What?” I tried to calm myself.
“There’s been a change of plans.”
“No shit, Hector,” I huffed.
“Where are you?”
“About thirty feet from you all,” I informed him. “Why are they back?”
“They didn’t say, but Elio was adamant we had to get back right away. He seemed to want to keep it quiet, though.”
“Do you think they know?”
“No.”
“How?”
“Because I wouldn’t be here standing by the main gates if they did.” His voice dripped sarcasm. “Just get out of there and wait for my call.” He hung up.
How dare he! Angry at his tone, I tossed my phone and took a moment to think. Things were spinning faster and faster, and the blur was taking its toll.
I pulled out the crinkled papers and stared at them, and my eyes blurred as I slipped into a memory.
Niccola cooed from his stroller as he enjoyed the Neptune water fountain in front of him. I sipped an espresso and finished reading my book, happy for a moment to relax. We’d just had a lovely walk through the gardens and then around the city. Niccola loved the penguins, and we stayed until his eyes grew heavy and he finally fell asleep. Of course, the moment I moved the stroller, his eyes popped open, and his ten-minute catnap had given him a second wave of energy.
I decided to park his little bum in front of the fountain so I could get some reading in. Our walks were the only time I could relax. Back at the house, I always felt the old bat watching me. I not only felt her beady-black eyes on me, they scorched my skin. Her ever-present rosary beads made the most annoying noise when she threaded them through her fingers.
“Miss Noemi?” A familiar voice sent a chill through me. “I thought that was you.” Her jet-black hair brushed her shoulders as she bounced a baby in her arms.
“What are you doing here?” I shifted uneasily. “You shouldn’t be here.” My mind immediately went back to the time when we were both about seven months pregnant. I’d tried, unsuccessfully, to push her down the stairs. Now she was a thorn buried deep in my side, a devil I had to continue to pay.
She smiled like a crazy person as we stood there like two moms watching a fountain with our babies. “I just wonder if you’ve forgotten our agreement. I’ve kept your secret. I’ve kept my mouth shut, and everyone still thinks you’re a good little mama. So, imagine my surprise when you missed your payment yesterday morning.” Her voice went low and soft, but I knew this woman was anything but meek.
“I did.” I closed my book casually. “I left it in the same spot as before.”
“It was short by almost half.”
“I didn’t have it all this time, but I can make up for it next month.”
“That wasn’t the agreement,” she said as she jiggled her baby.
“I heard you visited my mama the other day.”
“I did.”
“Was that some kind of threat?” I dreamt of pushing her into the fountain and holding her head under the water. I wished once again I’d been successful in pushing her to her death when I had the chance.
